


Craig of the Creek Oneshots

by Youregonnahatemebaby



Category: Craig of the Creek (Cartoon)
Genre: Crushes, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, One Shot Collection, Platonic Relationships, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26937304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Youregonnahatemebaby/pseuds/Youregonnahatemebaby
Summary: Collection of one shots based off Craig of the Creek. All the kids in the show are like, 9 years old, so all of this is sfw and are mostly just little kid crushes and fun adventures. Also, most ships are LGBT because yeah.Spoilers lol
Relationships: Green Poncho/Craig Williams, Jason/Craig, Kelsey/Stacks, Kelsey/Wildernessa, Mark/David, Wren/Faraday
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	1. Truth or Dare

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone's interested I'm also taking suggestions for plot premises and ships :3

Tonight was their annual monthly junior forest scout's sleep over.  
That's why Tony, Jason, and Boris were currently sitting in a circle on the carpeted floor of Jason's bedroom. This time it was Jason's turn to host. His house was honestly all the forest scout's favorite to stay over at since it was so big and he always had the coolest stuff. Said host was currently clad in his squirrel onesie pjs. Yeah... it was a little lame and he would rather die than have any other kids in the creek see him in it but he was comfortable enough to wear it around his friends and it was what he preferred sleeping in. And squirrels were very respectable animals, as Tony had pointed out the first time they all had a sleep over. Boris and Tony were just wearing regular ol' pajamas, although Boris was wearing pink bunny slippers.  
During these sleepovers they were supposed to go over the records on the going abouts of the creeks that month, but after the the first hour or so they would usually end up playing games. Whether it be a board game, video game, or a classic game like hide and seek or the floor is lava, that's always what ended up happening.  
And tonight, after they had finished the records and had a bunch of snacks, they were playing truth or dare.  
After playing a few rounds, Boris ended up eating a spicy pepper(which barely affected him), Tony had to dance to some cheesy 2000s pop song, and Jason broke an egg over his head.  
Jason then had to wash all of the egg out of his hair.  
"Alright Boris, it should be your turn now," Tony declared as Jason sat back down with a towel on his head to dry off his wet hair.  
"Yes, Boris turn now," the boy nodded and lifted a finger to his chin in thought.  
"Boris choose Jason," He finally decided.  
"Hey! I was just dared!" Jason said furiously, he did NOT want to wash his hair again.  
"Do not worry," Boris chuckled, "I ask truth this time, no dare."  
"Erhg, alright," Jason groaned, finally giving in.  
Boris smiled happily, "Okay,"  
There was a brief pause as if Boris was thinking and Jason was about to interject but Boris ended up speaking first.  
"Does Jason have crush on anyone?"  
Jason immediately froze as a blush rose on his face.  
Boris and Tony were now snickering at their embarrassed friend.  
"Is truth, you have to answer," Boris said after a minute of Jason's silence.  
"Yes, according to the rules of truth or dare once a truth or a dare is propos-" Tony began to explain before being cut off.  
"I know how the game works!" Jason shouted at his know it all friend.  
Jason took a deep breath, was he really gonna tell them this? They were his closest (and only) friends. He trusted them, and they wouldn't judge him.

Right?

"Okay..." Jason said, gathering up the courage to just spit it out.  
"I have a crush on... "

"Craig.." Jason whispered the name quietly, but his friends still heard him.

His friends were quiet for a moment and Jason could swear he was sweating bullets.

"I thought you hated him?" Tony finally asked.  
"What!? No! I don't hate him," Jason said waving his hands around wildly and nervously, his face now red as a tomato.  
"But Jason always yell at Craig and his little friends?" Boris questioned, honestly confused, "and always shove badges in Craig face."  
"I- I don't know!" Jason said, still panicked, "Whenever he's around I get nervous and yell at him and he's no different from every other creek kid so he still has to follow the rules! And I don't know, I just brag about my badges because I want to impress him but he always takes it as a challenge." Jason explained, finally calming down near the end.  
Tony now nodded in understanding, "Like how a little boy pulls a girl's pony tail when he likes her."  
"Arhg, I guess, whatever," Jason pouted and crossed his arms.

Wait... something was wrong here. Where was the anger Jason had been expecting? Him liking another boy wasn't normal. His friends should hate him now.

"W-wait... you guys don't care that I'm a boy and Craig is also a boy... and I like him?" Jason asked nervously.  
"No, Jason is still Jason no matter who he like," Boris smiled warmly and Tony gave a thumbs up in agreement.  
Honestly, Jason had never felt so... Safe? Secure? Accepted?  
He didn't know how he felt but he knew that he was happy in that moment. Just knowing that his friends accepted him for who he was made him feel warm inside. Tears started to well up in his eyes, but they were happy tears and he wiped them away with a smile.

"Now, what are we gonna do about this crush?" Tony asked.  
"What do you mean?" Jason asked in confusion.  
"Well obviously, seeing as you have a crush on Craig, we need to make a plan to get him to like you back," Tony summarized, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.  
"NO! NO! NO! WE REALLY DONT NEED TO DO THAT!!!" Jason gasped frantically but it was too late, his friend already had his note book and pen out to start planning. Boris also scooted closer to Tony to help his more studious friend map out a plan.  
Boris had no problem pushing away a tiny, clawing Jason so that the other two junior forest scouts could start the planning.


	2. Pocky Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David proposes a game

It had been a pretty slow Saturday at the Elders Rocks. Yeah, the 3 teens themselves often didn’t really do anything besides read comics, watch anime, argue about said comics and anime, and snack but usually by now some kids (often little warrior and her friends) would come by to request their wisdom. But nope, no one had come by all day today and David was starting to get bored. While his 2 friends didn’t really care for the kids that came by, David honestly found the kids cute and their fantastical antics hilarious. So, even though Mark and Barry were perfectly content watching anime and reading comics David wanted a bit of excitement during this boring day.  
David grabbed the helmet from his head and pulled it off to run a hand through his hair and sighed, trying to think of something his friends would agree to do. When he sat back up after placing the helmet on the floor he spotted a pack of the Japanese treat, Pocky, on their DnD table. David’s eyes widened and a great idea popped into his head.  
This plan sure would make things more interesting today! And knowing both Mark and Barry’s competitive nature they would most likely agree.  
“Hey guys!” David said excitedly and quickly shot up to go and get his friends attention but the action caused him to fall over and land in a heap on his folding chair.  
“Shut up David! I’m trying to read my comic!” Mark hissed from his own chair.  
“Woah dude, are you okay?” Barry asked and helped up his clumsy friend who gave a curt nod.  
“Yeah I’m okay, but I’m really bored and I have an idea!” David exclaimed confidently with a large goofy grin.  
“No way! I’m busy,” Mark hissed, hitting the back of his hand to the comic to make a point.  
“Oh come on Mark!” David whined and picked up the box of pocky to shove it in Mark’s face.  
“What! Its just some stupid pocky!” Mark growled and shoved the offending box away.  
“I was gonna suggest we try a game with them,” David said, bouncing up and down in excitement.  
“What game, dude?” Barry asked as Mark just fumed in the corner.  
“The Pocky Challenge!” David smiled and shoved his hand into the treat box to fish out one of the pocky sticks. Once he got one he stuck one of the ends in between his teeth, a smile still on his face. 

Barry and Mark were silent.

“Guyffs?” Mark questioned, his voice muffled by the treat between his teeth. He initially thought maybe his friends were ignoring him but how could they be ignoring him when they were both staring down at him with wide eyes and dilated pupils. 

“I’m going first,” Mark stated and quickly stood up from his seat after abandoning his comic to rush towards David.  
“Oh no you don’t! I’m going first!” Barry said and grabbed Mark’s arm before he could reach David and roughly pulled him back.

Now David's friends were fighting. 

He was very confused. Why were his friends fighting? Yeah they always fought over games but this was just a simple one and they hadn’t even started yet. What was the big deal?

“You have a girlfriend!” Mark yelled at Barry as he pulled at his hair in attempt to get him to let him go.  
“And you have you’re stupid shovel!” Barry yelled back and grabbed at the little demon’s hand to try and get him to stop pulling at his hair.  
“She’s dead and I am not going to make out with a dead shovel!” Mark screamed and retaliated by biting Barry’s hand.  
“Do you hear how dumb you sound right now!?” Barry said and yanked his hand back from Mark's teeth.  
“Shut up and let me have this!” Mark growled, still attempting to bite at the boy holding him back. 

“If you guys don’t wanna play I guess I’ll just go ask Gibbson instead,” David shrugged, already halfway to the exit.

“NO!!!” Mark and Barry both screamed in panicked unison and scrambled to get the boy back but he was already out from under the rock and walking away with his phone in hand to text Gibbson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gibbson is a side character that's also in high school that I don't think is ever seen interacting with the Elders but whatever


	3. Wildernessa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig is pretty sick of Wildernessa acting like a jerk towards him all the time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wildernessa is kinda a brat but I like her and she reminds me alot of me when I was little cause I also love animals lol

It felt like Wildernessa had insulted him about 100 times since he had first met her and Craig had about had it.

After another adventure caused by Kelsey insisting they help Wildernessa, the girl had passive aggressively insulted Craig a number of about 6 times today. So, as Wildernessa and Cheesesticks were walking away into the creek after their successful animal rescue, Craig broke away from his 2 friends to go talk to her on his own. He made some dumb excuse about having to go to the bathroom so his friends wouldn't follow him. 

"Hey!" Craig yelled as he ran after Wildernessa and Cheesesticks whipped around to snap dangerously close at Craig's face.  
"Woah there," Wildernessa said to calm down her dog and stop it from attacking the boy.  
"Craig, you know you're not suppose to yell at dogs right?" Wildernessa sighed and rolled her eyes at the the boy that stood there shaking from the near death experience.  
Craig clenched his teeth and made a fist with his hand in anger. Another insult? Of course. What had he expected?  
"STOP! That's exaxtly what I wanted to talk to you about!" Craig yelled up at Wildernessa who just raised an eyebrow in response.  
"Why do you hate me so much!? You're always insulting me and it's so rude," He continued in anger.  
"Ugh, I dont have time for this," Wildernessa grumbled and moved to turn Cheesesticks around.  
"That's exactly what I mean! You treat me like dirt when me and my friends help you out all the time," Craig said and that got Wildernessa to stop Cheesesticks from leaving.  
Craig couldn't see her face but it seemed like she was thinking about something.  
"I don't hate you," Wildernessa sighed, still not turning around.  
"You don't?" Craig questioned. What reason could she have for constantly insulting him besides hatred?  
"I'm just... jealous I guess," Wildernessa confessed.  
"Jealous of me? What? Why?" Craig asked, now extremely confused.  
"Because of how close you are to Kelsey," Wildernessa said, finally making Cheesesticks turn around so she could face Craig and he could see the prominent blush on her face.  
"Do you..." Craig gasped in realization, "have a crush on her?"  
"Pffft yeah, I guess you could put it that way," she said and crossed her arms in embarrassment.  
"But it doesn't matter if I like her because of whatever you two have going on," Wildernessa said, the frown on her face deepening.  
"What?" Craig said and a smile broke out on his face as he started laughing wildly.  
"Hey! The heck are you laughing at!" Wildernessa growled at him.  
"Me and Kelsey aren't a thing!" Craig said in between laughs and when he could finally stop he had to wipe tears from his eyes.  
"We're 100% just friends! There's as much of a chance of me liking her as me liking JP," Craig said, still wiping tears from his eyes.  
"Wait, really?" Wildernessa said, her eyes seeming to become brighter at the new information.  
"Yeah, and Kelsey really likes you too. She talks about you all the time and looks up to you," Craig said, trying to sound as honest as he could. Wildernessa didn't say anything though.  
"Ya know, if you hung out with her more you'd probably know more about her," he said softly.  
"I know we should hang out more but I have alot of responsibilities and there's no way she'd have time for me anyways," she sighed sadly.  
"Kelsey always wants to hang out with you and if you really liked her I'm sure you could make time for her," Craig said, "And she really wants to get to know you more. I hope you feel the same about her."  
Wildernessa looked down to stare at the fur on Cheesesticks head to avoid Craig's gaze.  
"Thanks Craig, I'll keep your advice in mind," Wildernessa finally smiled. Craig realized it was the first time she had ever smiled at him.  
"And I'll try not to insult you anymore," she winked with a more carefree smile.  
"You better," Craig chuckled and waved good bye as Cheesesticks turned away from him and the dog and it's master bounded off deeper into the wilderness of the creek.


	4. What happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place the day after Episode 1 of season 3 (The Other Side: The Tournament)

It was the day after Craig and his friends plus that new kid (Bryson or whatever) had the stupid idea to compete in Xavier's tournament for that video game. Craig and his friends had thankfully come back from the other side in one peice, but left in a hurry and only told Green Poncho that the king had gotten a picture of Craig's map. That was not good. Really not good.  
Craig said he would come back tomorrow to tell him what happened but it was already 11 am and he still wasn't at the overpass yet. They hadn't agreed on a time to meet since Craig left so fast but with such a serious topic to discuss ya'd think he'd be here as soon as possible.  
Green Poncho paced around on top of the overpass as he waited for Craig to just get there already. He was starting to get pretty annoyed. First, Craig puts himself in danger and then he won't even show up to tell him what happened.  
Finally he heard the tell tale splash of a raft floating down the creek and he jumped off the overpass to land on said raft.  
"Omar!" Craig exclaimed with a big smile on his face. Kelsey and JP weren't with him though.  
"Tell me what happened yesterday!" Green Poncho immediatly demanded and pointed a harsh finger in his face.  
"Woah, chill," Craig laughed nervously and raised up his hands in defense but the green poncho did not find it funny.  
"What happened to your hands!" He asked and grabbed Craig's hand to yank it towards him to examine the bruises on the back of them.  
"Oh uh, I had to play Maya in slaps," Craig shrugged with a blush and pulled his hand back from the others hold.  
Green poncho sighed, "Just tell me what happened."  
So, Craig went on to narrate the entire adventure. He told of challenges and how they almost won but Maya recognized them and took his map and that's when the king took a picture of it. Then told about how they were put in the maze and found their way out and were almost caught but then it was dinner and they had to get home.  
"God Craig, that was so reckless. You guys could've been arrested or stuck in the maze forever!" Green poncho said and crossed his arms like a disappointed parent.  
"Hey! You're the one that let us go!" Craig countered.  
"Ugh, I guess I did but I shouldn't have," He groaned and moved to sit down to be face to face with Craig.  
"I'm sorry," Green poncho sighed and now more calmly grabbed Craig's hand to examine it again and tenderly ran a thumb over the bruise. Craig blushed and looked away in embarrassment but didn't try to take his hands away this time.  
"I just... care about you, and dont want you to get hurt," Green poncho said.  
He raised his friends hand to his face and gave the bruise a soft boo boo kiss.  
Craig could immediately feel the heat rising on his face and now he did pull his hands back.  
"Oh uh, sorry did I hurt you?" The Green poncho asked, obvious worry in his tone.  
"No! Uh I j-just uh," Craig stuttered, still momentarily stunned.  
"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that. It's just what my mom does whenever I get an injury," Green poncho said and went to scratch at the back of his head with a nervous grin but soon remembered he had a hood on.  
"Oh uh no yeah, I get it, my mom does that too," he laughed, "t-thanks."  
"Uh, no problem," Green poncho smiled slightly and looked away.  
Now, both boys were left sitting in the raft surrounded by awkward silence asides from the rush of water, rustling leaves, and chirping birds.  
"Well! I should get back to Kelsey and JP!" Craig suddenly blurted out and Green poncho nodded in agreement.  
"Yeah, and I should get back to guarding the over pass." And with that last sentiment, green poncho disappeared in the blink of an eye.  
Craig waved goodbye to the seemingly empty overpass but he knew the green poncho could see him from wherever he was.  
A big grin broke out on his face as he turned back to start paddling the way back to the stump.


	5. Battle Wounds and Books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stacks puts some bandaids on Kelsey

It had been a slow day at the library, but then again, it almost always was. Most days Stacks would be hired to write some book reports, she'd finish some book reports, text Kelsey, and of course, read books. And that's exactly how today was going so far.  
She was reading when she heard the telltale sound of shifting books on the shelf in front of her. She looked up to see a face peeking through the gap. Stacks smiled and got up to greet the person who was currently climbing through the book shelf to get to the other side.  
"Hi Kelsey!" Stacks said and held out a hand to help her friend up.  
"Hi Stacks," Kelsey beamed and took her friend's hand to stand up.  
"Woah are you okay, what happend?" Stacks asked, now that they were eye to eye, (well not really since Stacks was the tallest of the two) she could more clearly see Kelsey's face.  
It was covered in angry red scratches and they looked fresh.  
"Oh yeah I'm fine, on the way here I had to battle a feral cat," Kelsey grinned in victory, but she winced from the motion.  
"Oh my god, is Mortimer okay?" Stacks asked with wide eyes.  
"Yeah, he's uninjured," Kelsey said and pulled the parakeet from her hair bun, who gave a friendly chirp to Stacks.  
"Well, I'm sure it was a heroic battle but we need to take care of these scratches," Stacks said and put a hand underneath's Kelsey's chin to tilt her head up. She was too busy studying the scratches on Kelsey's face to notice her friend blushing.  
"I think I have a first aid kit, give me a sec," Stacks said and stepped away to head over to the desks with the computers on them. She opened up a few of the drawers before she finally found what she was looking for.  
"C'mere," Stacks said and took ahold of Kelsey's hand as she held onto the first aid kit with the other.  
She pulled over her rolling chair and motioned for Kelsey to take a seat.  
Once Kelsey sat down, Stacks got on her knees infront of the chair and set down the first aid kit on the floor.  
She opened it up and surveyed what was inside. She picked up a sanitizing wipe and ripped it open. Stacks put a hand on the side of Kelsey's face to steady it and lifted up the wipe to gently clean Kelsey's wounds.  
"Let's hope these don't get infected," Stacks mumbled and Kelsey just nodded absent mindedly. She was too focused on the feeling of a soft hand on her face and also the sting of alcohol on her cuts.  
Stacks finished sanitizing and put aside the used wipe. Then, she reached into the kit to take out a healing ointment. She uncapped it and put some on her finger to apply to Kelsey's face. When she was done she wiped off her finger on her pants and put away the tube. She picked up a box of bandaids and began to place them over the cat scratches.

"All done!" Stacks declared and stood up and took a step back to admire her handiwork. 

"Kelsey?" Stacks asked after a moment of her friend just starring off into space.  
"Oh uh," Kelsey stuttered, finally snapping out of the trance as the blush on her face grew, "Thanks, Stacks."  
She took out her phone and turned on the front facing camera. She had smiley face bandages placed all over her face. Wow, that cat must've done more of a number on her than she thought.  
"These are some awesome battle wounds! Now everyone can see how tough I am!" Kelsey exclaimed, jumping up on the chair to strike a heroic pose.  
"I don't know, I think they make you look cute," Stacks giggled and Kelsey flushed red in embarrassment.  
"Do not! I look like a brave hero who was in a epic and harrowing battle!" Kelsey retorted.  
"Well, you can be brave and cute at the same time, just like Mortimer," Stacks smiled and the bird chirped in agreement.  
Kelsey just huffed and Stacks giggled at her friend's stubbornness.  
"Thanks for patching me up, Stacks," she thanked and fiddled with the handle of her sword.  
"Anytime Kels," Stacks smiled with a thumbs up.  
"Maybe you could learn how to set bones and stitch up wounds and stuff," Kelsey suggested, "for when I probably have to fight a dragon or goblin king or something like that."  
"Heh, I don't know, I think I'm a bit too squeamish for that," Stacks chuckled, but the thought of being so close to Kelsey like just now made the offer seem alot more enticing.


	6. The Tea Timer's Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kelsey asks Wildernessa to go with her to the ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take place on episode 22 of season 2, "The Tea Timer's Ball"

"Kelsey, will you go to the dance with me?" Aaron asked with a nervous smile.  
Everyone at the playground was now staring at her with baited breath, awaiting her answer to the boy who had just spilled out his heart and soul.  
"Uhh..." Kelsey looked around at all the kids watching her in anticipation and her heart began to pound in her chest. It felt like it would jump out of her rib cage any second now. 

She blurted out the first thing she could think of, "I CAN'T! I'M GOING WITH WILDERNESSA!"

"WHAT!?!" Craig and JP both gasped in suprised unison. 

"O-oh uh, alright then, no problem. I hope you two have fun," Aaron gave a weak smile and walked away with his head down.  
Kelsey felt really bad as she watched the boy walk away and she quickly speed walked over to her two friends, trying to avoid the eyes of others. She grabbed ahold of their wrists to drag them behind her as she headed to the stump.

"Are you really going with Wildernessa?" Craig asked as he struggled not trip over his own feet due to being dragged by Kelsey.  
"Wow! Congratulations Kelsey," JP smiled, his long legs easily keeping up with Kelsey's short ones.   
"I lied!" Kelsey shouted when they finally got the the stump. She collapsed on the floor and shoved her face in her hands.   
"Why'd you do that? You could've just said no," Craig said and took a seat next to his hysteric friend.  
"AHH! I dont know, I just panicked!" Kelsey shouted.  
"What are you gonna do when you see him at the party and Wildernessa isn't with you?" JP asked, sitting down on the other side of Kelsey.  
"Yeah, parties don't really seem like Wildernessa's thing," Craig agreed.  
"I mean, I wouldn't mind going with her, but you're right," Kelsey sighed, "she probably isn't even going."  
"You could ask her," JP suggested with a smile.  
"She wouldn't want to go with someone like me," She frowned and pulled her legs to her chest to hug them.   
"Anyone should feel honored to go with you!" Craig exclaimed, "And there's no harm in asking," he added.  
"I guess..." Kelsey said and relaxed alittle.

Yeah, maybe she could ask Wildernessa.

On one hand, if she said no she would totally die and never be able to face her again. But on the other hand, if she said yes, she'd be the happiest warrior ever.  
If Aaron could be brave enough to do it, she could be too. But she definitely wasn't going to ask Wildernessa infront of a bunch of people. 

That had been torture.

"Alright, I'm gonna ask her," Kelsey said and took a deep breath to calm herself.  
Her two friends both let out cheers of encouragement. 

\---

And that's how Kelsey had gotten herself here. Standing infront of Wildernessa who towered over her and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.  
It had taken awhile to find Wildernessa. She didn't have her number and Kelsey didn't even know if she had a phone.   
Kelsey held some flowers she and the boys had picked specifically for this occasion. She also had a treat for Cheesesticks.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Wildernessa asked and looked down at the flower's held in Kelsey's hands.

"I uhm, was uh wondering if y-you'd go to the dance with me?" Kelsey stuttered nervously and held out the handful of flowers, she had practiced that question for what felt like hours.   
Wildernessa was silent and Kelsey wanted to implode as the girl just silently stared down at her. 

"The ball the tea timers are hosting?" Wildernessa asked after a moment of silence.  
"Y-yeah, I know you probably don't like that kinda stuff b-but uh I thought it might be fun," Kelsey shrugged as her hands began to shake.  
"Hmm," Wildernessa hummed and took the bouquet of flowers from her admirer's trembling hands.

"Sure, I'll go with you," Wildernessa shrugged after inspecting the flowers. 

"Really!?" Kelsey gasped in disbelief.  
"Yeah, why not," Wildernessa said in a seemingly uncaring manner but it was easy to miss the slight blush rising on her face.  
"A-alright! That's uh awesome!" Kelsey smiled, a rush of adrenaline spiking her blood, "We're gonna have so much fun!"  
"Yeah," Wildernessa just nodded.  
"Oh! I also brought this for Cheesesticks," Kelsey remembered and fished the dog biscuit out of her pocket to hand it over.  
"Thanks," Wildernessa said and threw the treat up for her loyal dog to catch mid air.  
"I guess I'll see you at the dance," Kelsey laughed nervously.  
"Yup," Wildernessa said blandly.  
"Cool," Kelsey tried to smile coolly with some finger guns but it just ended up looking awkward and she began to quickly walk away from the interaction.

When she was out of sight she started punching the air in excitement. Craig and JP popped out of some bushes near by.  
"What'd she say?" Craig asked excitedly.  
"She said yes!" Kelsey squealed and jumped up and down in happiness.   
The three friends celebrated for awhile before the girl paused in thought.  
"She didn't really seem... excited though," Kelsey said to her friends who gave her some words of encouragement. Assuring her that things would be fine.

But she couldn't be more wrong. 

The second Kelsey left Wildernessa had turned to face Cheesesticks, a big smile on her face.  
"I can't believe I'm going to the ball with Kelsey!" She exclaimed to her big dog who took a break from panting to give a soft woof in agreement.  
"This means she likes me, right? Like, likes me likes me?" Wildernessa asked her dog and she looked down at the flowers in her hands. She didn't usually like dead plants but in this situation she found them endearing. 

Heat rose on Wildernessa's face as she imaged spending the night with the girl she was so enamored with. Holding hands and dancing. It sounded too good to be true.

\---

Kelsey was at the dance with her two friends. She was never really one for dressing up but she decided to wear a nice light blue dress her mom had bought her. It was too big to fit her when her mom was alive, but it fit now. The rest of her outfit was the same though. With her hair up, her rain boots, cape, and trusty sword.   
She fiddled with her dress as she watched Craig inspect everything with paranoia as JP and Maney laughed and joke around. Those two were such a sappy couple but one had to admit they were very adorable.   
Wildernessa had yet to show up and Kelsey was nervous that she wouldn't show. 

Maybe she had changed her mind and wasn't coming? 

Kelsey was busy getting caught in a flurry of her inner monologue when she felt a tap on her shoulder.  
Standing infront of her was Wildernessa.

She looked amazing. 

She wore black dress pants and a matching black coat thrown over a white button up shirt with a black tie. She of course still wore the torn up teady bear over her face. 

"Hey," Wildernessa said with a neutral expression.

"Uh, h-hi," Kelsey sputtered out her delayed response. 

"I like your dress," Wildernessa said.  
"Th-thanks! I like you're outfit too," Kelsey smiled, shyly as she fiddled with the hem of her cape.  
"Thanks," Wildernessa said with a small smile.  
"Did you bring Cheesesticks? I wasn't sure if animals were allowed so I didn't bring Mortimer," Kelsey said.  
"No, I don't think he'd like the large group of people and noise," Wildernessa shrugged.  
"Yeah, true," Kelsey awkwardly laughed.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes as music played around them and lights flared.

"Wanna go get some punch?" Kelsey blurted out, desperate to break the awkward silence.  
"Sure," Wildernessa responded and they both headed towards the snack table.   
They poured themselves some cups of punch and took a few sips.   
Kelsey watched as Craig inspected all the food, even though both herself and JP told him that Eliza wasn't out to get him. 

JP was currently flirting with Maney like they always did when together.   
Kelsey felt a bit of envy spike in her gut. Why weren't she and Wildernessa talking like those two were? Conversation just seemed to come so easy to them while Kelsey and Wildernessa had only spoken a few forced sentences to eachother so far.   
Kelsey looked over at her date who was leaning back with her elbow on the table as she observed the people dancing and drank from her cup. 

She was so frickin pretty. 

Her fluffy black hair reflected the lights in such a pretty way and as did her deep, dark eyes.

Kelsey was probably the luckiest person in the world, no, the entire universe, to get a chance with such a cool and amazing person like Wildernessa. But what was the point if they could barely talk to eachother?

Suddenly, a melody that was much slower and softer than the previous party song came over the speakers.

"This one is for all the couples out there," the DJ announced and people began taking eachother's hands to head to the dance floor.   
Kelsey really didn't expect to dance tonight, it just didn't seem like Wildernessa's thing and it wasn't much of her's either. 

"Wanna dance?" She heard the voice of the person next to her ask.  
She whipped her head to gawk at Wildernessa with suprise clear on her face.

"W-what?" Kelsey sputtered in confusion.

"Ya know, dance? It's kinda the whole point of this big ball thing," Wildernessa shrugged, "We don't have to if you don't want to."  
"No! No! I do want to dance," Kelsey laughed her reassurance and she froze as Wildernessa suddenly took ahold of one of her hands.   
"Let's go then," Wildernessa said and, hand in hand, Kelsey followed after her until they reached the dance floor. 

They stood awkwardly in the middle of a bunch of dancing couples. 

"So- umh uh, how does this work?" Kelsey asked. She honestly had no idea how to dance. Unlike people such as the tea timers, she had never taken dancing lessons. At most she had only ever learned to square dance at school. 

Wildernessa decided to take the lead and held out the hands where she and Kelsey were conjoined. 

"Here, put your hand on my shoulder," Wildernessa said and Kelsey complied. After she took her free hand and placed it on top of the taller girl's shoulder Wildernessa moved her arm underneath Kelsey's to place her hand on her back. The action pulled the two closer and both couldn't help but blush from the proximity.

"Now all we have to do is basically sway and take some steps," Wildernessa explained and Kelsey nodded, her eyes everywhere but the other's stuffed animal clad face. 

Wildernessa took lead of the movement and the two began to slowly sway and take some steps to the left and right.

"How'd you learn to dance like this anyways?" Kelsey asked, trying to make small talk.  
"My parents taught me how to do some simple dances in preparation for my quinceañera," She explained with a shrug as they continued to sway.  
"Isn't that for when you're 16?" Kelsey asked.  
"Its when you're 15, and it's kinda a big deal in my family," Wildernessa said.  
"Cool," Kelsey chuckled awkwardly.  
"My parents expect me to dance with some boy but I much prefer dancing with you," Wildernessa smiled down at her dance partner.

Was- was Wildernessa flirting with her???

Oh my god... Wildernessa, THE Wildernessa, was flirting with her and Kelsey could immediately feel her face flush. 

"Th-thanks," Kelsey stuttered and continued avoiding eye contact as she internally screamed. 

They continued to dance in rhythm to the song with fingers entangled together and arms around the other person. At some point the two had looked into eachother's eyes and couldn't tear their gaze away. Kelsey studied Wildernessa's deep brown eyes, they were very dark but if you studied them close enough you could see golden flecks near the pupil. Meanwhile, Wildernessa took note of Kelsey's light hazel eyes that had a bit of a green tinted around the edge of the iris. They reminded her of honey or a warm sunrise in the creek. 

They barely even noticed when the song stopped and couples began to filter off the dance floor. Until the loud bass of a popular party song began to blast and snapped them out of their trance. 

At their realization they quickly retracted their hands from eachother and chuckled nervously with red faces. 

They headed back to the snack table where JP and Maney were still chatting up a storm.  
"You guys look like you're having fun," Maney giggled to Kelsey once they had returned.  
"Hehe, yeah," Kelsey nervously laughed.

As she and Wildernessa were leaning against the table Kelsey flinched a little when she felt someone take ahold of her hand.  
"Sorry, is this okay?" Wildernessa asked when she felt Kelsey flinch and began to pull back her hand.  
"Oh no it's fine! I was just suprised," Kelsey said with a shy smile and took back the other's hand.   
"Cool," Wildernessa grinned brightly and Kelsey felt her heart melt from the amazing sight.


	7. From the end comes something new

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason and Craig hangout but as always they end up stepping on eachother's toes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after the episode "The End Was Here"

It was a peaceful Saturday at the creek. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and kids were playing, everything seemed all set up for the perfect weekend. 

But when you're a junior forest scout you have to be on constant watch no matter how nice of a it is day!   
And that's exactly what Jason, Boris, and Tony were doing today. Boris and Tony had finally gotten over their sash rashes and could be back on patrol. Jason was pretty happy to have his loyal colleagues by his side once again!   
Yeah, it was fun hanging out with Craig and his friends after the boy had broken onto his property and almost killed him. But he was glad things were back to normal.   
Although, he did hope that Craig and his friends would talk to him more often now.  
Don't get him wrong, he loved his two friends, but things got pretty lonely when almost everyone in the creek hated you. It would be nice to have more friends to talk to. Especially if one of those friend was a really nice boy that he looked up to and made his heart race whenever he talked to him.   
Yeah, Jason might've had an itty-bitty teeny-tiny crush on Craig.   
Ever since that incident with the tea timers Jason had started to notice the other boy more. He noticed the way he was kind to everyone even if they were jerks or how he had the most creative way of thinking of new ideas and inventions.   
But whenever he talked to Craig the interaction almost always turned sour. Craig admittedly had a distaste for him and Jason was way too stubborn to admit that he kinda deserved it. 

Jason and the rest of the forest scouts were busy fishing liter out of the creek (Yeah, they actually do useful stuff sometimes) when the three boys looked up at the sound of someone yelling to them.   
"Hey! Hey, Jason!" They could hear a voice call out and soon spotted the source as Craig pushed pass some bushes to head towards them. He was waving to them with a smile on his face and both Boris and Tony shot Jason a confused look. Since when were Craig and Jason on friendly terms?  
"Hi Craig, do you need help with something?" Jason asked with his characteristic lisp and put down the fish net he was holding as the boy approached him.   
"Oh no, I was just wondering if you wanted to hangout," Craig said, "If you're not too busy, that is."  
Jason looked at his two friend who tried to stifle their knowing chuckles and soon gave him a thumbs up.  
"Yeah, I think the junior forest scouts will be fine without me today," Jason nodded and tried to ignore the blush rising on his face.  
"What about you're friends though?" Jason questioned.  
"JP is hanging out with Maney and Kelsey with Stacks," Craig explained and Jason couldn't help but blush slightly at the connotations. JP and Maney were a couple, as were probably Kelsey and Stacks, as far as he could tell. It was likely just a coincidence but still, it made him alittle nervous but excited at the same time.   
"I was thinking we could head to the trading tree first," Craig said.  
"Alright, sounds good to me," Jason smiled and waved goodbye to his two friends yet stuck out his tounge at them when Craig turned his back.

He had told his friends about his crush and they would definitely tease him about this later. 

They kept silent during the walk to the trading tree, which wasn't very far away.  
They walked up to the trading tree like they had many times before but never together. As they approached Jason could see Kit's eyes widen.   
"Craig and Jason? Together? Not fighting?" Kit said in confusion, "Are you two dating now or something?"  
"Wh-what! No!" Jason sputtered, his face turning red.  
"N-no, we're friends now. We put aside our differences and stuff," Craig explained with a shy smile.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just teasing," Kit snickered then got back into buisness mode.  
"So whatcha want," she asked, getting straight to the point.  
"I'll get a choco roll as usual and my friend will have..." Craig said and looked at Jason expectantly.   
"An icecream sandwich," Jason filled in. He reached into his pocket to get something to trade but Craig softly grabbed his wrist to stop him.  
"I got it, least I can do for almost letting you die yesterday," Craig said and pulled his trade out of the purse he always carried around. His trade was a few marbles and a couple batteries.  
"Thanks for your buisness!" Kit smiled as she handed over their treats and took Craig's trade to add to her storage.  
"You didn't have to do that," Jason said as they began to walk away.  
"It was no problem, and as I said, I literally almost killed you yesterday," Craig chuckled but Jason could hear the guilt slipping through.  
"Yeah, you did," Jason said, still a bit irritated from the other day's occurrences, "You guys could've just told me you needed to find something in my backyard."  
"I know, we should've but you were just being so annoying that day that I really didn't want to deal with you," Craig rolled his eyes but immediately regretted his words when Jason exploded at him.  
"Its not my fault! I was just trying to keep people safe and I didn't have my friends to hangout with that day," Jason yelled, grabbing the attention of a few near by people, "How do you feel when you're friends are gone!"  
"Wait, Jason, I'm sorry-" Craig tried to say before being cut off.  
"No you're not!" Jason yelled, having enough of this argument and ran off into the creek. People stared at Craig and he began to feel immense guilt. He was trying to apologize, not start a giant commotion. Damn his big mouth!   
Craig raced after the fleeing Jason to try and talk to him.

Jason skidded to a stop and hid behind a large tree as he heard Craig call his name somewhere off in the distance. He clutched his melting icecream sandwich and slid against the tree to sit down and take a sad bite out of the frozen treat. He could feel warm tears that had previously just been welling in his eyes slide down his cheeks. He thought maybe Craig was different from all the other kids. Maybe, if he just got to know him better he'd start to like Jason, but no, he instead decided to insult him. No one ever took the time to get to know him except for Boris and Tony, and at first that was only due to being in juniour forest scouts together. Even his parents barley interacted with him. Why did no one ever like him? Was he that much of a pain? He let out a quiet sob as his thoughts spiralled despite trying to hold it back by stuffing his face with icecream.   
He heard a rustling of bushes but didn't have the energy to run again. He just hugged his legs and put his face down so that whoever it was couldn't see he was crying.   
"Jason! There you are," It was Craig.   
"Leave me alone," Jason mumbled, trying not to make it obvious that he was crying but the sniffling kinda gave it away.  
"I'm so sorry Jason, I didn't mean it," Craig said as he walked towards the curled up boy and took a seat infront of him.  
"Yeah, you did, ev-everyone hates me so of course you do too," Jason said, "You're no diffrent."  
"I don't hate you," he said, "You can be a bit bossy sometimes and that can annoy kids but no one truly hates you."  
"Then why do I have no friends?" Jason countered, face still buried in his knees.  
"You have friends! You have Boris and Tony," Craig said.  
"That's only cause we're all in junior forest scouts," Jason sniffed, "They're my friends but probably only cause they learned to tolerate me."  
"Hey, look at me," Craig said but Jason didn't budge, "Please?"  
Jason gave in to Craig's begging and peaked just his watery eyes out of his knees to look at the other boy.  
"I like you, I like you a lot, and that's my personal decision. Despite any of your trivial flaws or what others think about you," Craig smiled genuinely and Jason averted his eyes to look at anything but Craig as he felt his face become hot.  
"I just a have a stupid big mouth," Craig said.  
"Heh, y-y-yeah you do," Jason chuckled, the tension in his muscles finally releasing as the atmosphere became more pleasant.  
"I like your big mouth though," Jason laughed and now it was Craig's turn to blush.  
"Well, I even like your braces," Craig countered and they both blushed together.  
"Pfft who, doesn't peanut head," Jason quipped.   
"Alright, brace-face," Craig laughed as he stood up and held out a hand to help Jason up. They both laughed together and the comedy of the situation helped both boys feel more at ease. 

They spent the rest of the day laughing, and joking, and exploring together. It had been a really fun time. 

When he got home Jason spent the rest of the day reminiscing on their adventures. Even thinking of what he and his new friend could do next time they hung out. 

Craig absent mindedly made a few doodles of him and Jason while at the dinner table.   
"Is that your boyfriend or something," Bernard said as he looked over Craig's shoulder while getting up to put away his dish.  
"WHAT! NO! OF COURSE NOT!" Craig panicked and quickly covered the doodles with another sheet of paper.  
"Craig has a boyfriend! Craig has a boyfriend!" Jessica squealed and his family spent the rest of dinner teasing him about his love life.


	8. Recon mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Xavier has sent Maya on a recon mission. Sounds simple enough but she didn't expect to meet a real cute girl with a smart mouth and who knows her way around buisness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I saw some fanart of them and although they've never interacted I swear Kit and Maya would be so cute together or as friends. Their personalities seem like they'd work together well.

King Xavier had sent Maya on a recon mission to check out the other side of the creek, now that they had gotten a picture of that 'Craig of the Creek's' map.   
She was tasked with blending in with the kids there and learning about their society and the places on the map. She would gather intel and take notes on the best places to strike and on which kids had the most power.  
Of course she had to go in disguise, since she couldn't have those kids or Omar recognizing her.  
So, she did not don her signature hooded shirt and cape. Instead she wore a bland gray hoodie with the hood up and her hair tucked underneath it so it wasn't stuck up in it's signature style. She wore some old rip jeans and glasses with the lenses popped out so she could actually see but still wear them. Xavier had given her the name 'Mallory' to go by if anyone were to ask. It sounded like a weak name but she was supposed keep away from the attention of others so who cares. It's only temporary anyways. Soon the king and his subjects would invade, stripping the children of their rights and candy.  
Maya stood on the sidewalk on the side of a road that was next to the creek. She didn't need to go anywhere near the overpass thanks to the help of the map. From the duckmart she could follow the directions from there right into the heart of the creek, where all the kid landmarks where.   
Xavier told her she should first check out what was labeled "the trading tree", since it seemed like a big part of their economy.   
So when she stepped off the road she followed the path on the picture to head towards the trading tree. She had to cross a running stream by walking on a log, another she had to cross by swinging on a rope, and soon she heard the tell tale noise of children.   
She stealthily stalked closer to hide behind a bush to survey the many children who gathered and talked around a large oak tree. She did a quick survey and thankfully didn't see Craig or any of his friends there.   
It seemed like kids would approach a large ice cooler under the oak tree where a short girl stood on the other side of the cooler.   
The approaching person would set something atop the cooler and the girl would either shake her head no or yes. When she shook her had yes she would either reach to grab a snack or toy and give it to them and took whatever they had set down on the cooler. The kid would then happily leave with their snack.   
It seemed like they didn't have ranks here. Anyone could get anything they wanted as long as they apparently traded something of equal value.   
After about half an hour of spying Maya decided to leave the bushes as inconspicuously as possible and approached the ice cooler with her head down. She got some weird stares but most kids were preoccupied with eating, talking, or playing games.

"We'll hi there mystery kid," the girl behind the cooler greeted when Maya had approached.

"I don't think I've seen you around before," the girl smiled at her brightly. She swore that smile was gonna burn her eyes. 

"Sup," Maya said and raised her head alittle so the girl could see her slightly better.

The girl didn't seem scared or intimidated despite Maya's tall stature and mysterious aura. Honestly, she seemed intrigued by it if anything. 

"Welcome to the trading tree, new kid! My name's Kit," the girl, Kit, said still smiling and seemed to reach down behind the cooler to get something.

"Here's a choco roll, on the house," Kit said and held out a wrapped package for Maya to take.

"My name's Mallory," Maya lied coolly and took the offered package to inspect it. 

"Have you never had a choco roll before?" Kit asked as she saw 'Mallory's' confusion when she looked at the treat.

"No," Maya said and opened up the plastic wrapping.

"Well they're really good, all my regulars love em'" Kit smiled with a wink.

Maya raised an eyebrow and peeled down the wrapper to take a bite from treat.

"Hmm, pretty good," she said after swallowing the choco roll, barley reacting.

"You seem like a tough egg to crack," Kit giggled, "I'll be sure to check in on you, Mallory." 

"Sure..." Maya said, kinda confused but she kept up her cold exterior.

"So this is like... a store?" Maya asked, continuing on her task of gathering information.

"You could say that, but instead of money kids trade me things for other things," Kit explained, "They gotta give me a worthy trade though, I dont take rocks or dirt or anything like that."

Maya nodded in understanding.

"I hope you'll become a regular customer around here," Kit said. "But just cause you're cute doesn't mean you're getting anything free," Kit said nonchalantly and Maya's face immediately heated up and her eyes widened in suprise. 

"Hah! I knew that would get you," Kit snickered as she slammed her fist against the cooler in victory.

"Pfft, whatever," Maya scoffed as she put back up her cool, uncaring mask. 

"Thanks for the choco roll," Maya nodded and Kit waved goodbye before she headed off back into the woods. 

Did all these kids play dirty or was it just that specific girl that acted so bold?

Where she came from, no one dared flirt with her or talk to her with anything but respect.   
Unless they wanted to be thrown in the maze, of course.  
But she couldn't stop thinking about that Kit and not just because she was angry, but because she felt... flattered?   
No one ever complimented her unless it was about her fighting skills.   
And maybe Kit was a lil cute too... and nice... and charming...

But that didn't matter!

She was here for recon, not to make friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw I'm unsure if the Herklton kids like Maya, Xavier, and Omar are teens. On their wiki it says "possibly teenaged" so if they are revealed to be teenagers I'll be deleting the stories involving them like this one cause I don't wanna ship like 9 year olds and 13 year olds. Ew. I do personally think that the Herklston kids are the same age as Craig and co tho


End file.
